bump, bump, bump, bump

At almost 3-years-old, Little Dude is an expert stairclimber. It's been a long time since I've had to monitor his ascents/descents. But this evening, my heart almost stopped when I heard multiple thuds followed by a loud crunch. I found Little Dude face-down at the bottom of the basement stairs, wailing. I was almost afraid to turn him over. At the last crisis, he suffered 6 stitches above his right eye. This time around we were lucky. The carpeting on the stairs cushioned his fall and Little Dude escaped with just a scratch and big goose-egg on his forehead.

After letting me apply 'Boo Boo Fish' ... a fish-shaped icepack ... to his forehead for a few minutes, Little Dude announced, "I need a BandAid." The Good Man put the bandage on his forehead. Then he wriggled out of my arms and proceeded to climb back up the stairs. Curious, we asked, "Where are you going?"

"I want to go down by myself," Little Dude replied. He climbed 10 steps all the way up to the landing and began to walk back down the stairs. When asked how he fell, he pointed to the landing. "I standing there. Then I fall bump, bump, bump, bump down the stairs," making bouncing motions with his pointed finger.

His account of the fall was priceless but more than that ... I applaude him for his persistance in making his way down the stairs in his own terms shortly after such a horrible fall.